Filed under: Software
Software every college student needs
Willie Morris has put together a list of Mac software that he calls 'Crucial Mac Software: College Edition.' The list has lots of great software on it (including the fantastic Quicksilver), but I have one problem with that list. What makes it college specific? Other than including Microsoft Office (and not even the student edition) I don't see any applications that would be uniquely useful for college students.Perhaps I'm an old so and so and I just don't 'get' the kids anymore. College students (and I know are some of you out there reading TUAW) let me know what applications you can't live without in the comments.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
derek said 5:04PM on 8-21-2006
front row of course
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Nathan said 5:08PM on 8-21-2006
Definately one of the lamest student software lists ever. No transmit, no iProcastinate, no Omnigraffle, no iSerial, no handbrake, no coverflow! AHHHH the list of things that should be on this list goes on...
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Robert said 5:13PM on 8-21-2006
I would add Schoolhouse to the list.
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/home_learning/schoolhouse.html
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Scott F said 5:21PM on 8-21-2006
and Neooffice, not microgarbage office.
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Nick said 5:26PM on 8-21-2006
Why would a college student need Transmit?
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Tony said 5:26PM on 8-21-2006
@Nathan,
He included Cyberduck, so no need for Transmit. (I like Transmit better, but Cyberduck is perfectly good...)
Coverflow is the second app listed...
He included MacTheRipper instead of Handbrake...
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Tony said 5:30PM on 8-21-2006
I'd have to say iStumbler (and its free widget) for when you have to find that wireless hotspot... and how strong it is.
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ned said 5:31PM on 8-21-2006
cool list nathan, what's iserial?
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ryank said 5:42PM on 8-21-2006
I can't get by at school without Direct Connect (here's hoping your school has a network) for super-fast file sharing. Sure, it's mostly top 40 pop stuff, but it's a fast and easy way to download stuff necessary for a party mix. Or bootleg movies.
Tony - I haven't used MacTheRipper, but Handbrake was very helpful when I had to analyze a scene for a film class. The DVD was only available at the library, and I couldn't check it out, so I brought my laptop, ripped the chapter the scene was in, and wrote the paper in my apartment.
iAlarm is great, too, for when a regular alarm clock won't do the trick. Nothing gets you out of bed faster than Slayer in the morning.
And on the side of thing that are useless, widget games are a great way to make it look like you're paying attention and taking notes on your computer when you aren't.
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3xa said 5:43PM on 8-21-2006
This list is truly useless. 90 percent of the apps have nothing to do with collegework.
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Doug Cook said 5:50PM on 8-21-2006
7 apps for college survival:
iProcrastinate - for keeping track of my insane course load.
Curio - when I need to sit down and work through a project on my computer Curio is there to help me along
Instant Handbrake - to rip tv shows for my iPod to watch before classes start
MacMAME - So I can play Michael Jacksons Moonwalker when I need a good laugh
Quicksilver - to help me do everything I do on my computer and help me do it as fast as possible because as a student I am very limited on time.
Growl - To help me track when I get new e-mails, what song is playing in iTunes, when something needs to be done, all without interupting my studying.
Not a bad bunch of apps, college student or not everyone should have at least 5 of these.
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BLACKOUT said 5:53PM on 8-21-2006
transmission
transmit
awaken
iSerial reader
mail
adium
launchbar
textedit
dashcode
fireworks (still wanting universal binary)
firefox 2.0 beta
just everyday things.
if anyone has better replacements for anything i've posted, please tell me, i think what i've got is good so far.
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Bridget Samuels said 6:02PM on 8-21-2006
I get many apps for free from school (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Mathematica, Acrobat, etc.) but they will only work on campus... which makes a VPN client a must-have. Also missing is EndNote or a comparable piece of bibliography software. No more hassles with writing and formatting references by hand!
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Daniel D said 6:20PM on 8-21-2006
the only one on that list I downloaded was the one that made the silver effect look like the itunes window, thats a nice ap. I can pretend im runing leapord now!
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David H said 6:45PM on 8-21-2006
"Why would a college student need Transmit?"
Seriously??? I used Transmit very often in all four years at college. I guess it's only useful for more web design-savvy individuals. And good point also that CyberDuck is on the list. However, I still use Transmit.
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rusty shackleford said 7:00PM on 8-21-2006
Aside from Office, I think the point of this list is not college use, but more like college survival; things that give you something to do when you aren't doing school work. I think a bittorrent client is the most glaring ommission from the list.
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blind_and_deaf said 7:04PM on 8-21-2006
If you want a more complete list, this is a good one:
http://www.macrecon.com/2006/08/14/the-ultimate-mac-list-for-free-apps-and-more/
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Michael Gray said 7:57PM on 8-21-2006
Endnote... I could not live without it! Essential for writing my dissertation. That and (looking along my dock) Vuescan for scanning all of those handouts and Adobe Acrobat Professional for its OCR capabilities. Well actually Adobe CS2 Suite is essential for me...
Another essiential program is Ical/Mail (those go without saying though)...
And for music students... Sibelius is a MUST have - even if you dont major in composition.
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LD said 8:20PM on 8-21-2006
This is what poor college students really need:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/unix_open_source/softwareforstarvingstudents.html
http://softwarefor.org/ad_lazarum_packages.html#Macintosh
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jason said 9:26PM on 8-21-2006
Does anyone know of a mac program that has the smae of similar functionality to Microsofts One Note? I could really use that.
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